Trying to Be Like Jesus

He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

25966_000_025

An Outstretched Hand

By Zack Butterfield

Moving can be a scary thing, especially when you go from sixth grade in an elementary school to sixth grade in a middle school, as I did.

My mom took me to school on my first day to get me enrolled. After a quick tour of the school with the school counselor, we were taken to my classroom. My teacher wasn’t there when we arrived, so the counselor said he would find her and let her know I was new in the class. Then he left us with a class full of kids busy with schoolwork.

I was becoming nervous when one boy turned around and said, “Are you new?”

“I’m Zack,” I said, shaking his hand. To my surprise, several other boys lined up with outstretched hands and introduced themselves. I didn’t dare look at my mom because I thought she might be crying because these boys made me feel so welcome. I felt good the rest of the day because a group of boys noticed someone who needed a handshake.

After school, my mom asked me how it felt to have a welcome like that. “It felt good!” I said. She told me that if I ever noticed a new person, I would know what to do to make them feel good, too.

[photo] Zack Butterfield, age 11, is a member of the Enterprise Ward, Morgan Utah North Stake.

Making Peace

By Soo-min Park

I try to be a peacemaker. My friend and I get along really well. But my friend didn’t get along very well with another girl our age in the ward. I told my friend that wasn’t good, and we invited the girl to be our friend. Now the three of us do many things together.

I hope one day I can be a diplomat and can help make the world a peaceful place where people don’t fight with each other. Through sharing the word of God we can all be better friends.

Soo-min Park, age 11, is a member of the Sinchon Ward, Seoul Korea North Stake.

My mom and I went to the mall to buy my grandma’s birthday present. While we were walking through the mall, I saw a big picture of a woman wearing clothing that did not cover very much of her body. I looked away the whole time we were walking by it. President Hinckley has asked us to be clean. I can keep my mind clean by not looking at bad pictures.

My mom and dad gave me the “great plate” (a special plate to honor someone who has been good that day) at dinner because my mom saw me look away from the picture all by myself. I know that if I keep my mind clean and pure like the prophet asks us to, I will be happy.

[photo] Michael Mueller, age 5, is a member of the Sparks Eighth Ward, Sparks Nevada Stake.

Faith in God

By Sister Diane Jacobs

For her Faith in God Award, Chevon Rayner is working on several activities and keeping a record of them in her journal. For the “Learning and Living the Gospel” category, she created a gospel crossword puzzle with 72 answers. She made it up from notes she took in her Primary class. She is studying the piano to develop her talents and meet the great need for pianists in the branches in Malaysia. Chevon also organized a dinner and made cakes for Valentine’s Day for the eight missionaries in her area. This is part of her “Serving Others” requirement. She also reads the scriptures every day.

[photo] Chevon Rayner, age 10, is a member of the Kota Kinabalu Branch, Kota Kinabalu East Malaysia District.

We Should Choose the Right

By Michael G. Fisher

This summer my family went on vacation to California. On the way we stayed overnight at a motel with a swimming pool. We went swimming for a while, then got out. Later my two sisters and I decided we wanted to swim some more. We dressed in our swimming suits and went back to the pool. Near the pool we saw a sign that said the pool was closed. We talked about what we should do. I remembered what I had learned in Primary and told my two sisters, “We should choose the right.” We decided to obey the sign and not go swimming. The next morning after breakfast we went swimming again.

[photo] Michael G. Fisher, age 6, is a member of the Paul First Ward, Paul Idaho Stake.